Maria Douaihy steps out of her father’s shadow and into the spotlight

Since her breakthrough at Theatre Monnot in January 2026, under the direction of playwright and director Yehia Jaber, Maria Douaihy has not quite been the same. At 48, the Performing Arts doctorate holder and Lebanese University professor, who came to acting nearly two decades later than most, made a striking stage debut in Qornet al-Bayda, a monodrama that brings to life Zgharta in the 1950s and 1960s. It was a late arrival on the stage, but a dazzling one.On Monday, that breakthrough was crowned with Best Actress in a Leading Role at the inaugural Monnot Awards. The prize recognizes a performance that is as physical as it is virtuosic, in a play that captures an entire world: patriarchy, vendettas, appeals to saints, close ties with clergy, but also kebbeh, folk songs, accents, gestures and traditions of a Zgharta society that Jaber...